The Cali girl

You can have that Gidget thing going on without actually being from the West Coast. Jane Fonda, for instance, was born in New York City--but you'd never know it from this shot. Her itsy-bitsy polka-dot bikini, sun-kissed hair and laid-back smile are quintessential California, à la Kate Hudson in her stripes.

Photos: MPTV.net, Flynet

The lifeguard bait

Raquel Welch became a favorite sixties pinup after donning a tattered two-piece for a caveman movie, One Million Years B.C. Halle Berry tantalized guys in those X-Men movies and as a Bond Girl (remember this orange bikini?). But we think their mass appeal to male audiences has less to do with script choices than how they fearlessly flaunt their curves and are so not afraid to get their hair wet or mess up their makeup.

Photos: Courtesy Everett Collection

The summer hair goddess

Long before the planet became infatuated with Gisele Bündchen's tousled waves, women everywhere envied Farrah Fawcett's wild, layered swoop. This sort of unkempt style looks better only in the presence of sand and water--so much so that the very ordinary clothing items that accompany them (a plain-old red one-piece and plain-old denim cutoffs) suddenly look scandalously sexy.

Photos: MPTV.net, WENN

The classic beach beauty

What do Marilyn and Uma have in common (other than being identifiable by first name only)? Both manage to bring their on-land glam to the sand with demurely sexy all-white two-pieces and equally head-turning accessories: a pair of fabulous shades, a set of ruby red lips.